The invention disclosed and claimed herein generally pertains to an improved food serving tray or plate which is intended for use with a separate container for a beverage or other edible food item. More particularly, the invention pertains to a serving tray of the above type wherein a user, by employing only a single hand, can firmly and conveniently support and carry both the tray and container.
There are numerous instances of food service wherein (1) one or more food items are served together with a beverage, and (2) it is convenient or essential for the recipient of the food items and beverage to be able to keep one of his or her hands free for some purpose. For example, it is a nearly universal practice, at many parties and other social functions, to serve food items on a plate, along with a beverage in a separate vessel or container. Accordingly, recipients of the food and beverage will tend to have both hands occupied, one with the plate and the other with the container. If a table or other horizontal supporting surface is not available, a recipient may try using the hand holding the beverage container to move food from the plate to his or her mouth. As an alternative practice, a recipient may attempt to balance the beverage container on the plate, in order to free his or her other hand for eating or other purpose, such as opening a door or shaking hands with another person. These practices tend to be very awkward, and frequently result in spillage and other undesirable consequences. Problems of the above type are also encountered at many sporting and other entertainment events where refreshments are served.
Fast food restaurants, particularly those having "drive-through" capability, provide a further example of food service having the dual characteristics set forth above. In such restaurants a motor vehicle is driven up to a window through which food is served. A typical order includes food items such as hamburgers, french fries, tacos, or the like, and a beverage such as a milk shake, carbonated beverage, or coffee. Frequently the vehicle driver, particularly if he or she is alone, will find it necessary to hold both the food and the beverage with one hand, while keeping the other hand free for further vehicle operation.
Prior art serving trays for supporting and carrying both food items and a separate beverage container are exemplified by patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,390,798 and 5,294,000, respectively issued Feb. 21, 1995 and Mar. 15, 1994 to Yanuzzi; U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,297, issued Oct. 30, 1990 to Doty; U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,396, issued Jul. 24, 1984 to Harper; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,144, issued Aug. 26, 1980 to Hagelberg.
Prior art food tray arrangements of the above type tend to have a very important feature in common. More particularly, in each of such arrangements, the intent is to provide a tray which is designed to receive, provide support for, and carry a beverage container or vessel. Yanuzzi and Doty both show a tray having a circular aperture, for receiving the lower portion of a container which is of frusto-conical shape and tapers downwardly. However, such design would be unable to support a straight-sided cylindrical container, such as a common aluminum soda can, since such container would slide through the aperture. In the tray arrangements disclosed by Harper and Hagelberg, the beverage container is placed directly on a portion of the tray carrying surface. However, in such arrangements the center of mass of a typical beverage container will be at a comparatively high level above the tray, particularly if the container is full. Accordingly, the container will be unstable on the tray and can easily be knocked over, if the tray is jarred or subjected to unexpected motion.
Prior art trays of the above type can conceivably be used by a person to carry both food and beverage with a single hand. However, in the event of such use, the entire support for the tray and its contents, including the beverage container thereon, will be applied at only one edge of the tray. The hand holding the tray will, therefore, not only have to support the entire weight of the tray, container, and their respective contents, but will also have to resist a moment applied thereto by gravitational force. Moreover, as discussed further in connection with the drawings, tray arrangements of the above prior art generally are not designed to make the most forceful and effective use of the human hand in grasping an object.